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Wednesday, 30 November 2016

Winter days

Yesterday was the first time I had to de-ice my car screen! Back in India, getting into a 'heated' Sumo - because it was parked in the sun - and driving around the town, drenched in sweat and dust, is a usual experience. And I would not put on the a/c either and that speed up reaching the boiling point of those travelling with me all the more. But this hard opaque sheet of ice on the glass??

One of my neighbours had put on the heating in the car - he was no where seen near the car! So I did likewise, but that wasn't helping much. Then a confrere of mine offered me a bottle of de-ice spray and showed me how to use it. Thanks to him, I managed to get moving in 15 minutes. But that time was enough and more to get me frozen!! My hands and feet were numb with the cold. Every part of the car that I then touched was like holding some frozen metal.

Only yesterday did I see a layer of frost on everything outdoors: on the grass, plants, foot-over-bridge, walls, and every vehicle. It was not just some soft snow but hard ice!! At some parts in the college they had even scattered rock salt on the floor.

Winter is here! One of the thoughts that trouble me most about this climate was about those homeless. With no outdoor spot remotely hospitable, where would the homeless spend the night? Or for that matter those without proper or any central heating system?